A recent study has told us that diesel car sales in the US have gone up by 25% and this number is rising. This has led to car makers in the US offering diesel engines, include GM and Chrysler. Now we hear that Kia could be the next to join forces and offers a diesel powered car.
Kia does have a large range of diesel cars in other markets. These range from the Soul to the Sorento crossover. The vice president of product planning at Kia Motors America said that it could be three or four years before any of the engines arrive in the US.
“The problem right now is that there are different emissions standards in Europe and the U.S., which means we would be faced with different after-treatments, and that makes it very expensive. But with EU6 in 2017-18 there would be the same standards in both Europe and the U.S., and that gives us a better chance,” Hedrick said.
Kia is looking to get a market share in one of their biggest markets and adding in a diesel car would get them a lot of attention. Kia will be hoping to establish their credentials later on this year when they announce the all-electric version of the Soul EV.
The sales of diesel light duty vehicles increased by 30% in 2010 to 2013. Car makers have offered 27 diesel cars along with SUVs and it is thought that the number will double over the next 18 months thanks to cars from such as Chevy, Nissan, Toyota and Mazda.
